The Big Little Lies Music You’ve Been Waiting For Is About to Be Released

I have a confession: I’ve been listening to Michael Kiwanuka’s “Cold Little Heart”—the haunting song that plays during the masterfully edited intro to HBO’s new hit series Big Little Lies—on repeat via YouTube on my laptop recently. It’s pretty low-fi, but I don’t care . . . the song is that good. (And whoever edited that intro should get a raise, stat.) Anyway, my prayers have been answered, because on March 31, ABKCO Music & Records will digitally release Big Little Lies: Music From the HBO Limited Series.

For the uninitiated, Big Little Lies is based on The New York Times best seller by the same name, and stars Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, and Laura Dern as mothers in Monterey, a picturesque, seemingly perfect seaside town that’s shaken to its core by a murder. Created by David E. Kelley (Picket Fences, Ally McBeal) and directed entirely by Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club, Wild), music has its own prominent role throughout the show. If arresting vistas of the California coast and the stunning homes are supporting characters, the folk, blues, and rock ballads woven throughout the storyline can’t be overlooked either. Perhaps as a nod to this, characters are constantly fiddling with playlists on their phones and all of the parents are prepping for an Elvis-themed karaoke fundraiser at the school. Featuring everyone from London-based singer-songwriter Kiwanuka to Alabama Shakes, Leon Bridges, and even cast member Zoë Kravitz, the show’s extensive musical lineup is hard to ignore, but fits so seamlessly into the plot that it isn’t overpowering. That said, once each episode wraps, it leaves you wanting more. Below, the lineup for the forthcoming digital album dropping this Friday. (And until then, there’s always YouTube.)